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AFCON 2025 and the Quiet Triumph of African Coaches
By Sola Fanawopo, Fes
I dedicate today’s Observatory to our guys on the touchline—the African coaches, breaking the glass ceiling with authority and results at AFCON 2025. Take your flowers. You are representing.
AFCON 2025 is doing something African football has struggled to achieve for decades: it is winning an argument without raising its voice.
As the tournament reaches the crucial phases in Morocco, attention naturally gravitates toward star players and dramatic score lines.
Yet the deeper story—the one that will outlive goals and trophies—is unfolding on the touchlines. For the first time in decades, African coaches are not merely present at the Africa Cup of Nations; they are the dominant force shaping it.
At the Africa Cup of Nations 2025, 13 of the 24 teams are led by African head coaches, while 11 are managed by foreign tacticians. That numerical shift alone marks a historic correction. But numbers only matter when they perform—and African coaches are not filling slots. They are setting the tone, the pace, and the psychology of the tournament.
AFCON Is an Ecosystem, not a Theory Class
AFCON has always punished rigid thinking. It is not a laboratory for ideal football models; it is an ecosystem defined by climate, emotion, compressed recovery cycles, refereeing rhythms, and the weight of national expectation. This was precisely why African federations once believed only European coaches could “study” and master the tournament’s complexity.
AFCON 2025 has exposed the flaw in that logic.
African coaches do not analyse this ecosystem from the outside. They are shaped by it. Their teams are built to survive turbulence, absorb pressure, manage transitions, and win moments rather than possession statistics. AFCON does not ask who dominated the ball—it asks who dominated the moment.
Trust Has Changed Hands
One of the most revealing images of the tournament came during Nigeria’s group-stage match against Uganda. Victor Osimhen, Africa’s most recognisable striker, sprinted to the touchline during an injury stoppage to receive tactical instructions from his African coach.
It was a simple act—but a profound one.
This is the quiet psychological revolution of AFCON 2025. African players—many raised in Europe’s elite academies—no longer see African coaches as stopgap appointments. They see authority, clarity, and cultural understanding. Trust has become discipline. Discipline has become execution. The evidence is visible in compact defending, tactical obedience, and emotional control under pressure.
Institutional Memory as a Competitive Weapon
African coaches also arrive with something rarely acknowledged in global football analysis: institutional memory.
They understand federation politics, logistical uncertainty, late disruptions, and the emotional weight of national expectation. They plan not only for opponents, but for chaos. Foreign coaches often encounter these realities for the first time at AFCON. African coaches have already adapted to them.
That difference does not always show in possession charts—but it shows in knockout matches.
The Cote d’Ivoire Moment That Changed Everything
The philosophical turning point did not begin in Morocco. It began at the Africa Cup of Nations 2023.
Cote ‘Ivoire started that tournament under a French coach, Jean-Louis Gasset. After two matches marked by tactical confusion and emotional disconnection, he was dismissed. The federation turned inward and appointed Emerse Faé.
What followed was not a miracle. It was an alignment.
Tactical clarity returned. Confidence surged. The dressing room reconnected with the nation. Cote d’Ivoire went on to win the AFCON, collapsing a decades-old argument that African coaches needed foreign supervision to succeed. AFCON 2025 is the harvest of that lesson.
A New African Coaching Identity
From Walid Regragui on home soil, to Éric Chelle with Nigeria, to Pape Thiaw, a clear archetype has emerged: African-rooted, tactically educated, emotionally intelligent, and globally competent.
CAF licensing reforms, years of assistantship under foreign managers, and accumulated tournament experience have finally converged. African coaches are no longer imitating Europe. They are interpreting Africa—and winning with it.
The Verdict—and the Next Test
African coaches are not dominating AFCON 2025 because Africa suddenly became generous to its own. They are dominating because the tournament now rewards what they have always mastered: context, adaptability, authority, and emotional intelligence.
AFCON 2025 is not an upset. It is a recalibration.
The next question is unavoidable: When will European clubs trust African coaches the same way AFCON now does?
If football truly believes the world is flat, then opportunity must finally follow performance. African coaching is no longer catching up. It is setting the terms.
Sola Fanawopo is a journalist and Chairman Osun Football Association writes from Morocco
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Morocco Handed Boost as Brazil Lose Only Specialist Right Back Ahead of World Cup Clash
Morocco have received an early boost ahead of their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C opener against Brazil after the South Americans lost their only specialist right back, Wesley, to injury.
The AS Roma defender was ruled out of the tournament after suffering a left thigh muscle injury during Brazil’s 2-1 international friendly victory over Egypt in Cleveland on Saturday.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) confirmed on Sunday that medical examinations revealed damage to the adductor muscle in Wesley’s left thigh, forcing him to withdraw from Carlo Ancelotti’s 26-man World Cup squad.
His absence leaves Brazil with a significant selection headache ahead of Saturday’s showdown with Morocco. Wesley was the only natural right back in the squad, meaning Ancelotti may now have to rely on makeshift options such as versatile defenders Danilo and Ibanez to fill the position.
“The MRI scan revealed a muscle injury to the adductor muscle in his left thigh,” the CBF said in a statement.
“The CBF regrets the injury. Wesley is a player much loved by the squad and will always be considered part of this team as it seeks to win its sixth World Cup title.”
Brazil have moved quickly to replace the injured defender, calling up Atalanta midfielder Ederson, who is expected to join the squad in the United States on Monday.
For Morocco, the development could offer a tactical advantage as the Atlas Lions prepare to face the five-time world champions in what is expected to be one of the most eagerly anticipated matches of the group stage.
The North Africans, who reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup and continue to be regarded as one of the strongest teams outside Europe and South America, will be looking to exploit any defensive uncertainty on Brazil’s right flank.
Brazil, chasing a record-extending sixth World Cup title, are grouped alongside Morocco, Haiti and Scotland in Group C. The opening encounter between Morocco and Brazil is expected to play a key role in determining the eventual group winner.
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Algeria have extended the contract of national team coach Vladimir Petkovic and his technical staff until 2028, the country’s football federation said on Sunday, days before the World Cup in North America, with his previous deal due to expire immediately after the tournament.
Petkovic, who took charge in February 2024, has overseen a strong turnaround, leading Algeria to 21 wins, four draws and three defeats in 28 matches and guiding the team to qualification for the 2026 World Cup, after their absence from the 2018 and 2022 editions.
Algeria also reached the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after consecutive group-stage exits in 2021 and 2023, while climbing from 43rd to 28th in the FIFA world rankings and from seventh to fourth in Africa during the Bosnian’s tenure.
The federation said the extension reflected “stability and confidence in the work accomplished”, with Algeria set to open their World Cup Group J campaign against Argentina on June 17 before facing Jordan and Austria.
-Reuters
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Multi-champions Brazil, Argentina and Germany all won their preparatory games for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday, although by small margins, with former champion England and hopeful Portugal also securing victories.
The busy day of friendlies saw some of the biggest stars on display, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Vini Jr and Mohamed Salah playing, but three-time champion Argentina opted to rest Lionel Messi against Honduras in Texas in a game where forward Lautaro Martinez shone with a goal and one assist for a 2-0 win. Simeone scored the second for Argentina.
Five-time champion Brazil beat Egypt 2-1 in Cleveland with Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes scoring early from inside the box and Lyon forward Endrick adding in the second half after an assist from Barcelona’s Raphinha. Zico scored for Egypt, while Salah played the first half and seemed to be in good form.
There was some drama with Brazil and AS Roma right back Wesley leaving the field in tears after what appeared to be a serious muscle injury in the left leg, which might take him out of the World Cup. Teams can change players up to one day before their first games.
Harry Kane’s first-half header earned England a 1-0 win over New Zealand in Tampa, while there were also victories for Scotland and Belgium as teams fine-tune ahead of the tournament’s kickoff next week.
With England manager Thomas Tuchel rotating his entire team at halftime and handing minutes to 22 players in the scorching 32-degree Celsius (90-degree Fahrenheit) heat, the result was secondary to the process.
But Kane’s clinical finish with a glancing header into the bottom corner from Djed Spence’s cross offered a timely reminder of the skipper’s importance to their hopes of winning a second Cup.
Four-time world champions Germany secured a ninth win in a row with a 2-1 victory over World Cup co-hosts the United States in Chicago.
Germany’s Kai Havertz (left) challenges United States captain Tyler Adams during the international friendly match between the USA and Germany at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, on June 6, 2026. Photo: Talia Sprague/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters.
Kai Havertz headed in Joshua Kimmich’s free kick to give them a second-minute lead, but the Americans snatched a stunning equaliser when Antonee Robinson thundered in a volley after defender Jonathan Tah had headed away a corner.
But Leroy Sane rifled in from 12 metres to restore Germany’s lead in the 57th minute.
Portugal defeated Chile 2-1 in an ill-tempered clash in Oeiras, where both teams finished with 10 men as Rafael Leao and Ivan Roman received their marching orders.
Goncalo Guedes gave the home side the lead before Bruno Fernandes added a second from outside the box. Lucas Cepeda scored a late consolation for Chile.
“We were superior in the 90 minutes, we managed to control the game very well, especially having a lot of the ball in the last third,” Fernandes told RTP.
Striker Romelu Lukaku continued his comeback from injury for Belgium with 25 minutes off the bench as they enjoyed a 5-0 victory over 10-man Tunisia in Brussels.
Leandro Trossard, Charles De Ketelaere, Kevin De Bruyne, Dodi Lukebakio and Nicolas Raskin scored the goals as Lukaku grabbed an assist.
“We wanted a good performance in front of our fans,” Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said. “It is a good preparation for the World Cup, we know this team can do great things.”
A much-changed Scotland scored all their goals in the first half as they romped to a 4-0 success over Bolivia in New Jersey.
Che Adams bagged two to go with strikes from Lawrence Shankland and Scott McTominay in an impressive performance.
Switzerland and Australia drew 1-1, while Bosnia and Herzegovina were held to the same scoreline by Panama.
-Reuters
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